Christmas is probably the busiest time of a year. One should decorate the house, buy presents, cook delicious food, and not forget about sweets. In order to save money for buying a cake and save time for baking it, consider an option of making cute Christmas cupcakes. Be sure – everyone will appreciate them!

Gingerbread Cupcakes

What can be more soaked with Christmas mood than Gingerbread sweet cupcakes! Impress all of your family members with these ones:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 cup unsulphered molasses

2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

Cooking process:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 jumbo muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in the eggs.

Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Learn to make some Snowmen Cupcakes on the next page.

Snowman Cupcakes

All of your kids will be delighted with these Snowman Cakes. Especially it regards tasty vanilla scent they are permeated with.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

6 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk

Cooking procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Scrape bowl, and beat in vanilla extract.

Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with milk, beating after each addition until combined.

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Make some symbolic desserts in the shape of small Christmas trees. And then get your kids help you decorate it with some roucou.

Ingredients:

12 sugar cones (2 to 2 1/2 inches wide and 4 to 5 inches long)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cooking procedure:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Invert two 9 1/2-by-3-inch disposable round foil baking pans. Using a craft knife or a paring knife, cut six X shapes in bottom of each, spacing them evenly, to make 1 1/2-inch openings. Fit a waffle cone snugly into each opening, standing the cones upright. Line each cone with parchment paper, and then place a dried bean or a hazelnut in bottom to prevent batter from leaking. Place pans and cones on parchment-lined baking sheets. Line a 12-cup mini-muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. With a mixer on low speed, gradually add egg mixture to flour mixture, beating until just combined. Raise speed to medium, and beat for 3 minutes. Carefully pour batter into cones, filling each two-thirds full. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup (these will be the tree bases).

Bake until a skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes for cupcakes and 35 minutes for cones. Let cakes cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cakes from cones and parchment. Let cool completely on the rack.

If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim top of each cupcake to create a flat surface. Place a dab of frosting on top of each cupcake, and position a cone cake on top. Place frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip and pipe frosting decoratively all over tree. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Top each tree with a mini gingerbread star, if desired. Trees can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 6 hours before serving.

Play snowballs on the following page.

Snowball Cupcakes

What do children like playing most of all in winter time? Right, snowballs! But what do they like doing with them more than playing is eating!

Ingredients:

3 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk

Cooking procedure:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 14 cups of 2 standard (12-cup) muffin tins with foil liners. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool completely. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the eggs and yolk. Add melted chocolate; mix until smooth.

Spoon batter into liners, filling about one-third full. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

Assemble the cupcakes: Spread a thin layer of frosting on each cupcake. Using a 2 1/2-inch ice cream scoop dipped in hot water, place a smooth mound of frosting on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand until frosting is set, about 3 hours.

Eat some Hot Chocolate Cupcakes on the following page.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Add some warmth and coziness to these winter holidays with these amazing and easy-to-cook Hot Chocolate Cupcakes.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until combined.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time (making sure to keep whisking – you don’t want the eggs to scramble), then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Fill each cupcake liner about ? full.

Bake cupcakes for 17-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool on racks for 10 minutes.

Ride the Rudolph reindeer on the following page!

Rudolph Cupcakes

Who are Santa Clause’s best friends? Right, reindeers! And who is their chief? – Rudolph! Cook funny Rudolph reindeers with this easy-to-do recipe.

Ingredients:

200g butter, cubed

200g plain chocolate, broken into squares

200g light soft brown sugar

2 large egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g self-raising flour

Cooking procedure:

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Gently melt the butter, chocolate, sugar and 100ml hot water together in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool a little while you weigh the other ingredients.

Stir the eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, and stir in the chocolate mixture until smooth. Spoon into the cases until just over three-quarters full. Bake on a low shelf in the oven for 20-22 mins. Leave to cool.